The present invention relates to a cop supplying system for an automatic winder.
In an automatic winder of the type which includes a number of winding units disposed in a row, supply of cops to each winding unit is normally carried out to a magazine attached to each winding unit with a travelling truck or by a hand of a man and so on. Conventionally, in response to a cop demanding instruction issued from the magazine of a winding unit, either the travelling truck stops at a position adjacent the winding unit to throw new cops into the magazine of the winding unit or the travelling truck throws new cops into the magazine while it is travelling, or alternatively, an operator picks up new cops from a cop box held by him and throws them into a magazine of a winding unit.
In such cases, it is necessary to provide each winding unit with a detecting device for detecting that cops have been used up. Also, there is the possibility that cops be not thrown into an empty magazine in error if the empty magazine is not held in position when cops are to be thrown in by the travelling truck. Besides, a considerable time is required from the issuance of a cop demanding instruction to the arrival of an operator or the travelling truck. These conditions provide a certain limit to the speed and reliability of supply of cops.